The latest take on Fame, an edgy ’80s construction built on perseverance through real-life hardships, has become filled with pleasant platitudes such as reaching for celestial bodies, overcoming mountains, never giving up hope and other slogans usually seen on office posters. It’s a frigid and empty drama built on teen clichés and faux-grit while set against a thumping urban beat.
It’s like spotting a wiener dog wearing a pit-bull mask…but not nearly as cute.
Much like the 1980 original from Alan Parker, Kevin Tancharoen’s updated version strips away emotion and substance only to cram the film with sappy melodrama and see-thru grit. Besides the movie’s PG-rated slant (the original was rated-R) which is skewed towards the Disney/High School Musical crowd, the dismal writing from Allison Burnett and shoddy performances, sans Megan Mullally, Charles S. Dutton and Kelsey Grammer, bring the film down to a level of boredom not felt since the creation of the Venetian Waltz.
See blog.reelloop.com for full review
